Seiji Kuragari
Seiji Kuragari (セイジくら Kuragari, Seiji) was a former member of Okagakure's reconnaissance and assassination unit, Senshi, as well as the former leader of the Kuragari Clan. During the time of the Second Shinobi World War, he was feared by his enemies and allies as the Hakai no maebure (破壊の前触れ Harbinger of Destruction), from the resulting destruction that he left in his wake. At some point after the war he attempted to assassinate the third Okakage, which ended in a failure, resulting in him fleeing the Land of Wilds and roaming the land as an S-Rank Criminal of Okagakure. Background Born in Okagakure as the grandson of the Second Okakage, he was born with high expectations placed upon him. If it didn't make matters worse, his father, Saiko Kuragari, was the head of the Kuragari Clan. Seiji was the first born son to Saiko and Rinn Kuragari. Because of this he was the next in line to become head of the clan. At the age of five, like most children his age, Seiji was enrolled in Okagakure's Shinobi Academy. It was in the academy that he would meet Ayame Sutaraito and Shuichi Shogeki. One year after graduating the academy, he, Ayame, and Shuichi were placed on the same team, Team Isamo, later named Team Raiden due to each of the members being capable of using the lightning release technique. At some point after he was placed on Team Isamo, shinobi from Okagakure attempted to kidnap a, at the time, young Seiji in order to negotiate with his father, Saiko Kuragari. The shinobi failed in the attempt by meeting their end at the hands of Saiko, who had caught the men fleeing from Seiji's room the night of the kidnap. At the time the objective of the shinobi were unknown but the current Okakage and the council denied any involvement, claiming they knew nothing of the incident and that the men had acted on their own behalf. Later it became known to Saiko that the current Okakage was behind the incident. It was his intentions to take Seiji in an attempt to rule over the Kuragari clan and its Kekkei Genkai. A year would pass after the attempt of his kidnap before Seiji and Team Isamo were allowed to go on a mission. This was because the Okakage did not won't Seiji to far away from him but could not keep him in Okagakure forever or that would arise suspicions. The mission was nothing more than a simple escorting mission, or so they thought. It was a ruse, a trick to get Seiji far away from his father and the Kurigari clan. Several shinobi from Okagakure attacked them. In the midst of the fight one of the Okagakure shinobi attempted to take Seiji but Ayame intervened, the result ended in her death. In a state of confusion and rage, Seiji unlocked the Dark Release kekkei genkai within him and killed the Okagakure shinobi. Shortly after the death of Ayame before the events of the Second Shinobi World War, when Seiji was fifteen years old, he was promoted to the rank of ANBU. During the time, he became a member of Okagakure's reconnaissance and assassination unit. Because of his skill in the dark release he became the head of the reconnaissance and assassination unit, also known as the Senshi (戦士 Warrior), at the age of fifteen. Sometime during his time with Senshi his father and mother were murdered by missing-nin from Okagakure. Seiji took it upon himself to go after the men. It did not take him long to find the men, who he killed in no time. Once he returned to the village it was announced that Seiji would become the leader of the Kuragari Clan, a position he gladly accepted. At the age of sixteen, he, along with the new member of Senshi Shuichi Shogeki, entered the Second Shinobi World War during the conflicts in the Land of Wilds. Okagakure had invaded the Land of Wilds in order to conquer it, in order to strengthen their military. Sometime during the battle Isamo lost his life in an attempt to hold off Kumo forces long enough for Okagakure reinforcements to arrive but his death was in vain. No reinforcements arrived. The surviving members of Senshi held off the Kumo forces for as long as they could. One by one Seiji's comrades fell in battle. In a last attempt to hold off enemy forces, Seiji used the dark release to defeat the remaining Okagakure shinobi, earning them a victory. After they returned to Okagakure they received word that no type of reinforcements were sent to aid them in battle, that they were left to die. Upon learning this Seiji confronted the Okakage, who told him that they were a necessary sacrifice and should not be mad for they had survived the battle. Not long after their conversation, Seiji learned the truth of his parents death and his kidnapping all those years ago. He learned that it was the Okakage behind it all. In a blind rage Seiji attempting to assassinate the Okakage which resulted in a failure and him fleeing the Land of Wilds. Personality Seiji ever since he was young had been a sensitive, kind, compassionate child who cherished life. The thought of having to take a life traumatized him. Taking a life was something he wasn't able to do. It wasn't until the sudden attempt of his kidnap did something awaken within him. A sudden urge to take life emerged within him. This feeling did not last long. Everything changed when he got to know Ayame better. She showed him the true meaning of peace and what it meant to be free from the burden of the pain and suffering he had endured being the heir of the Kuragari Clan. Only when he was around her did he truly feel like he was at peace with the world. Ayame who on more than one occasion called Seiji her "Guardian" for the simple fact that whenever she was in trouble Seiji was always there, by her side, protecting her from harm. Because of her Seiji began to cherish life once more, he desired to help those he cared about and those who were unable to help themselves. Shuichi would often tease him, asking him what did he think he was, a superhero? Although he never thought of himself as a superhero, he did want to protect those who lacked the power to protect themselves. When Seiji was fifteen, before he joined Senshi, Ayame died before his very eyes. He was unable to protect her. The event traumatized him, turning him into a man who loathed conflict. During the time of the Second Shinobi World War, Seiji, along with Senshi entered the battle in order to stop Okagakure forces from entering the Land of Wilds. At the time Seiji was considered a living legend by his allies. It is also during the times of the war that the enemies began to refer to him as the Kage no ō (影の王 Shadow King). During the war, after seeing his comrades die in battle, Seiji grew to loath war and hate those who involved themselves with it. After the death of Ayame and the Second Shinobi World War and once learning the truth of the Okakage, his personality changed to a more calm, serious, aloof man who became detached from the world. The hate he possesses for war has made him detached from the world. Putting an end to death and war has become his number one goal and to return to Okagakure. Despite the emotionless demeanor, it has been seen that he is quite respectful, especially to those who have fallen in battle or the dead, giving off the impression that deep down he still cherishes life to some extent. Appearance Seiji, like all members of the Kuragari Clan, can be recognized as a member of the clan due to the unnatural shade of his hair, light purple which hangs down to his neck. His eyes are very similar to the color of his hair, only being a more lightly colored purple. He wears a mask to cover up the lower half of his face. It is very rare for him to be seen without having the mask on. Underneath the mask, as Shuichi has pointed out to him on more than one occasion, his face is more feminine than it is masculine. Ayame use to tell Seiji that this was due to his heart being pure. Unlike the other members in the Kuragari Clan, Seiji has a much more pale complexion. The outfit that Seiji can be seen wearing appears to encapsulate his entire body, the mask that covers the bottom part of his face seems to be a part of his outfit. The colors seem to be a light grey, yellow, and red. The most obvious part of the outfit is the large collars that reach past his neck. The jacket part of the outfit reachs all the way down to his ankles in the back and in the front. In the front at the bottom it splits open to give him more space to move during combat. The outfit was given to him by his former mentor Isamo before the death of Ayame. Abilities Not much is known about Seiji's exact capabilities, though it is quite obvious that he is extremely powerful. This comes to light when one mentions him joining the Senshi at the age of fifteen. Seiji is considered to be the most powerful Kuragari to ever be born. The abnormal capabilities he possesses with the Dark Release is considered to be unrealistic. From time to time, he is referred to as the prodigy child of the Kuragari Clan. It is believed that he holds an immense amount of chakra. Seiji has noted that he has enough chakra to kill himself three times over and possessing enough power that those around him would refer to him as a Human Jinchuuriki. Seiji is the grandson of the late Nidaime Okakage. There have been those who have called him the rebirth of the Nidaime Okakage but Seiji has always stated that his power far exceeds that of his grandfathers. One of the traits Seiji gained from his grandfather was the ability to adapt to any situation by studing the opponent and the scenery around them. He has been acknowledged as a genius and it was his strategic mind that got him into the Senshi, not his Kekkei Genkai. Nature Transformation Over the years and with the help of the Dark Release: Inhaling Maw technique, Seiji has acquired a multitude of nature transformation types. Of those are the basics, the fire, lightning, water, wind, earth, and the advanced kekkei genkai, the dark release. It has been noted that Seiji is capable of preforming many high-level jutus, some on par with the Kage of the shinobi world. Of those jutus is his most powerful ninjutsu, the Amatsu Mikaboshi. Ninjutsu Seiji is a master of the Dark Release Kekkei Genkai, as well as the five basic forms of Nature Transformation. Seiji's signature techniques were those that involved the usuage of the dark release and the summoning of Panthers, capable of using them in/with ninjutsu. During his battle against the Third Okakage it was seen that he was able to hide himself within a panther for protection as he escaped the battle. Summoning Technique Like most of the shinobi in the Kuragari Clan, Seiji possesses the Summoning Technique and has a summoning contract with the Panthers of the Grand Forest. Unlike the other members of the clan, Seiji has shown his mastery of the summoning by being able to summon the arch panther Bushineko. To date Seiji is the only member of the Kuragari Clan who has the capabilities to summon Bushineko. Dark Release Seiji is the only known member of the Kuragari Clan who possessed the unique Dark Release Kekkei Genkai, a once signature kekkei genkai used by the clan. The release gives him the ability to absorb an opponent's chakra through touch and being able to manipulate it for further use. Once he has absorbed the opponent's chakra he is able to use it in order to fuel his own jutsu. Although, Seiji can utilize it even more by absorbing the chakra from incoming ninjutsu attacks. When he uses the dark release the color of his chakra changes to a light purple, giving off a more sinister feel to it. Seiji has mastered the release to the point of going beyond the normal capabilities of the release, being praised for his unnatural connection to the release; an example is when he is attacked the purple chakra of the dark release will emerge from his body, taking form in front of him to form an almost impenetrable shield. He is capable of using a numerous number of techniques that are releated to the dark release; the most recognizable aspect can be the advance way Seiji has applied shape transformation to the release. Intelligence Seiji has shown to possess an extremely high intellect, having the ability to deduce the inner workings and weaknesses of powerful techniques, even while under pressure and being able to counteract them. Along with this intellect, Seiji is able to predict the outcome of a battle in the first few moments of the fight. This was seen during his battle against the Third Okakage, in which at the beginning of the battle he knew he would not win the fight. It has been stated by the Third Okakage that Seiji possessed extraordinary skill in deception, this came to light when he was shown to fool the Okakage into believing he knew nothing of the Okakage's plans when in reality he knew everything.